


In New York City

by lukeisfobaf (polie121900)



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Enemies to Lovers, Fluff, M/M, New York City
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-15
Updated: 2017-07-06
Packaged: 2018-08-22 15:43:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 10,736
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8291297
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/polie121900/pseuds/lukeisfobaf
Summary: Lance is completely convinced that Keith, another tenor in his choir, hates him, and Lance hates him back. Keith, however, is completely crushing on Lance. They try their best to avoid each other (for separate reasons) but are forced together when they're placed in the same group for their choirs New York trip. Shenanigans ensue.





	1. Some Time Before The Trip

“You have GOT to be kidding me.”

Lance stared at the official rooming list in horror, his jaw hanging ajar. His eyes were opened wide, visibly bloodshot. He could feel Hunks hand resting lightly on his shoulder, silently giving him unspoken support. Lance ignored him, pushing his hand off.

“Seriously?” Lance exclaimed, stepping away from the board. “I have to room with KEITH?” As in 4.0 student, probably going to be valedictorian, holier than thou  _ asshole  _ Keith?” He let out an exasperated sigh, letting his head fall.

“I’ll be there too, at least.” Hunk offered with a kind smile. He found his hand back on Lance’s shoulder. This time, Lance didn’t touch it.

Lance looked up at his best friend, meeting his gentle eyes. A small smile graced his lips. “Thank’s buddy.” 

Hunk nodded.

Suddenly, the doors to the choir room burst open, breaking their moment. 3 girls strutted in, and all eyes were on them. Of the three, the girl with the median height was the most breathtaking. Her sapphire blue eyes matched the top of her dress, while her long white hair matched the bottom. Although she was wearing heels, she still didn’t quite reach the height of the tallest girl, who slouched slightly. The taller girl wore a bright smile on her face, her dark brown hair barely reaching the bridge of her nose. She wore a knitted dark green sweater with a short brown pleated skirt. She towered over the other three despite wearing flats. The shortest of the three wore a bright green and white t-shirt with grey shorts. Her orange and white sneakers were incredibly dirty. Nothing about her seemed neat, not even her glasses, which were tilted slightly and stuck in her light brown hair that fell slightly below her ears. The top of her head only went up to the tallest girls chest.

The tallest girl stopped behind Hunk, wrapping her soft arms around his waist, resting her head on his shoulder. He jumped, startled, only relaxing when he saw her face. Both of their faces brightened. “Shay...” He purred, turning to kiss her.

Lance rolled his eyes, pretending to gag.

The next tallest girl giggled, smiling over at Lance. “Shay was right, you really are a bit childish, huh?” Her voice was incredibly smooth, her gentle british accent allowing the words to easily flow off her tongue. 

Lance turned bright red, staring straight at her with wide eyes. He quickly saved it however, standing up straighter with a smirk. “Childish?” He raised an eyebrow, his hand creeping to his chin. “Oh no, you must be mistaken. I’m Lance. And you?”

“Cut the shit Lance, she knows you’re a fool just like the rest of us.” The smallest girl said, rolling her eyes. Her arms were crossed, all of her weight shifted to her left.

Lance huffed indignantly, turning to face the small girl. “Oh, whatever Pidge!” He exclaimed, his eyebrows turning down. “You-! Well, you...” He huffed again, turning away from her. “Oh, whatever, it’s not like you’ll care much anyways!”

Pidge grinned, putting her hands on her hips. “Bingo.” She said, moving to join the other girls in front of the board. Lance couldn’t help but snicker over how short she was compared to the other two. 

“Sweetness!!” The middle girl, now introduced as foreign exchange student Allura, exclaimed, a cute grin on her face. “We are all in a room together for the trip!”

Shay, still leaning against Hunk, nervously swayed. A blush appeared on her pale face. “B-but, Coran’s in there with us..” She gulped. “Is it really okay that he stays with three girls for a whole week?”

“Well, I asked the teacher if it was possible for him to stay with me at all times for the trip.” Allura explained, making small gestures as she spoke. “He is my host parent after all, and it’s a bit worrisome to be going to such a big city by myself.” She offered a kind smile. “Sorry if it bothered you guys at all, I didn’t have time to consult you two before speaking with her.”

Another bright smile lit up Shay’s face. “It’s fine, Allura, don’t worry about it. It’s a small price to pay to make sure you feel happy and safe.”

Allura smiled back, nodding slightly. “Thank you, Shay, you are a kind friend.”

Lance crossed his arms, letting out another indignant huff. “Well, that’s all fine and great that you guys have such a great room situation. MEANWHILE, Hunk and I are completely stuck rooming with the biggest asshat in the school!” He exclaimed, only lowering his voice as he swore. “God, how am I going to survive this week?!?”

 

****** ***** ******

 

As Keith walked into the room, he immediately noticed the absence of any people around. Not a single sound could be heard except his own breathing.  _ Thank god...  _ he thought, letting out a relieved breath. However, as he stepped in front of the board, his sense of relaxation immediately flew away from him.

“N-no..” He murmured, stepping away from the list. “No no no, this absolutely can’t be happening, no way...” He could feel tears forming in his eyes, but he quickly blinked them away. His hands made fists at his sides. 

After looking around to make sure no one was around, he let his back hit the wall, sliding down to a sitting position. As he felt the tears coming back, he pulled his phone out. If there’s anything he knew, it’s that his older brother Shiro would be able to help. He quickly pulled out the messaging app, his fingers moving at the speed of light.

> __ Keith: The room list was posted this morning.  
>  __ Shiro: no way!! who’re we rooming with? :p  
>  __ Keith: ....  
>  __ Keith: Hunk and Lance...  
>  __ Shiro: oh no, Keith, are you okay?  
>  __ Keith: I don’t know yet...  
>  __ Shiro: is there any way we can switch rooms?  
>  __ Keith: I don’t think so. My teacher already said that everything is finalized...  
>  __ Shiro: aw, I’m sorry bro :(  
>  __ Shiro: whatever happens on the trip, just know you can talk to me, okay?  
>  __ Keith: ....  
>  __ Shiro: keith. okay?  
>  __ Keith: Fine. But don’t expect me to come crying to you about all of my boy problems.  
>  __ Shiro: lol okay   
>  __ Shiro: just don’t keep your feelings all bottled up like usual  
>  __ Shiro: don’t let some dumb boy ruin your trip  
>  _ Keith: .....  
>  _ _ Keith: Thanks, Shiro.  
>  _ __ Shiro: anything for my little bro :D

Keith put his phone into his pocket, letting out a tiny sigh. God, could his day possibly get any worse?


	2. Tuesday

With a slight indignant huff, Lance set his suitcase at his feet. He stood with his usual slouch, his hands stuffed into his pockets. He (not so) subtly eyed the crowd of students around him, squinting slightly. Noticing his best friend's gaze from the side, he turned away, hiding the slight blush that grew on his face. “Do... do you think maybe he’s not coming after all?” He asked, stuttering slightly. “Maybe he, you know, got sick or something? So he’s not coming?” A hint of desperation could be heard in his voice. 

Hunk rolled his eyes slightly. Slinging his arm around the other boy's shoulder, he let out a deep sigh. “Lance, you shouldn’t wish sickness on anyone, even if it someone you lik-, er, hate.” He hesitated a bit. “Or, dislike, for that matter. I know you’re not happy about it, but our trip is going to be entirely with them from now on. We just have to accept that...”

“BUS 2, PLEASE BEGIN BOARDING NOW.” A distorted, mechanical voice called.

Lance rolled his eyes, slouching even more. “Yeah, whatever.” He said, turning away from Hunk. “That’s our bus, we gotta go anyways.”

He had only turned away for a second, but the second he turned back, he felt a huge force slam into him. He toppled to the ground, hitting the cement with a thud.

His head ached terribly. He still couldn’t bring himself to open his eyes, but he still felt the weight on his chest. Should he?

When he finally built up the strength to open his eyes, he almost wished he hadn’t. As his eyes fluttered open, he was immediately greeted with the sight of a blushing, slightly disheveled Keith. His dark ivory hair was completely mussed, as well as his red jacket that he always wore. His pale cheeks were tinged a deep red, the color rivaling that of the aforementioned jacket. His cold fingers were loosely wrapped around Lance’s jacket. Lance could feel Keith’s skin touching his own. He was on  _ fire. _

Keith’s eyes fluttered open. His head tilted slightly, his lips pursed. As he breathed, Lance could feel him moved against him. Keith couldn’t bring himself to look away. “L-lance?” His voice was hoarse.

Lance took a moment to process, but his brain seemed too frazzled to be able to. All he could see were Keith’s eyes, Keith’s striking grey eyes. They looked bluer up close than they usually did. His irritating leather fingerless gloves were rubbing against Lance’s shirt, his fingers touching Lance’s collarbone. His dark hair looked so soft, almost like he could just reach up and touch it...

“Keith?”

Keith’s eyes widened, his fist instinctively clenching. His heart beat wildly. Pushing aggressively against Lance, he jumped to his feet. He could feel his cheeks burning.

Suddenly, Shiro slung his arm around his little brother's shoulders, slouching slightly to reach his height. “Hey hey little bro!” He said, a shit-eating grin on his face. “We need to get on the bus now.” He squinted slightly, staring directly at Lance. Lance was laying on the ground, still clearly frazzled.

Shiro leaned in closely to Keith, his lips nearly touching his ears. He spoke in a low whisper, his breath hot against his neck. “He wasn’t bothering you, was he?” Keith shook his head. Shiro leaned back to his original position, a huge smile lighting up his face. “Well then, shall we go?” Keith nodded, his lips seemingly superglued together.

As the two of them walked away, Hunk placed his hand on Lance’s shoulder, offering the other to the smaller boy. “Well?” He asked, squatting down slightly. Lance met his gaze, grabbing his hand almost immediately. Hunk smiled, pulling his best friend to his feet. “You good?”

Lance nodded.

As they walked over to the boarding area, Hunk’s lip turned up in one corner, morphing into a playful smirk. “So...” He started, leaning his hip closer to Lance’s. “You and Keith, huh?”

Lance rolled his eyes. “Oh, piss off.”

_ ***** _

Lance woke up to the sound of his choir teacher shouting.

As his eyes lazily fluttered open, his choir teacher exclaimed, “Basses, low do!” The basses obliged, the low note overcoming most of the noise. Aside from them, the bus fell quiet. “Tenors, low mi!” Lance closed his eyes again, taking a low breath before letting the note free. It was quiet, but it blended well with Hunk’s note beside him. He could hear the altos and sopranos taking other notes around him, creating such a beautiful major chord. It blended so beautifully... He could almost just fall asleep again, the chord lulling him into a comfortable slumber.

Suddenly, everything fell quiet, and his eyes opened once again.

“Okay everyone, please listen up!” The choir teacher announced. “We’ll be arriving at the hotel soon, so please get all of your things together. The time is 11 p.m. I’d suggest you go to sleep as soon as you get into your rooms, as we have quite the busy day tomorrow!”

Hunk turned to Lance, a huge grin enveloping his face. “I can’t believe I actually get to see the actual Macy’s Day Parade!!!” He babbled excitedly. “Man, this is going to be so awesome!”

Lance grinned back, his cheeks pushing against his eyes, flattening them slightly. “Yeah dude, this is going to be the best thing ever!” He exclaimed. “I can’t wait to see Wicked, that’s definitely going to be the best part for me.”

Keith smiled quietly to himself, gently clutching his hands to his chest.  _ He sounds so cute... _

Shiro chuckled to himself, watching his little brother stare at the Cuban boy. God, it was so obvious that he was in love. How had no one caught on yet? Tapping him on the shoulder, Shiro leaned over to whisper in his ears. “Keith, you’re staring again.”

Keith turned bright red, looking down at his lap. “Sh-shut up...” He stuttered, unable to look him in the eye.

Shiro just chuckled again.

*****

“Alright, here’s how this is going to go.”

Shiro stood in front of the hotel room door, room key in hand. His stance was so full of confidence, one couldn’t help but obey his every order. Although his white tuft of hair fell in his face, creating an awfully silly scene, Lance absolutely  _ refused  _ to giggle.

“There are only two beds, so you two,” He gestured towards Lance and Hunk with his only free hand, “You sleep in one bed, and Keith and I will sleep in the other. Deal?”

Lance and Hunk nodded.

“Good,” Shiro said, letting out a small sigh of relief. “I was a bit afraid you’d be troublemakers, so let’s avoid that, okay? We’ll be spending a lot of time together on this trip, so please behave.”

Lance and Hunk nodded again.

Keith stole a glance at Lance, refusing to let himself blush. Instead, he turned his nose up slightly, shifting his weight towards Shiro. Shiro was right, he had to avoid Lance at all costs this trip. That boy is a player, a womanizer, a troublemaker... No good could come from anywhere near him. It was bad enough that he had the perfect view of Lance singing so passionately whenever they were in choir... Or that he had to wake up every day and see his cute fuzzy hedgehog hair... Or see him get dressed in the morning...

A huge blush enveloped Keith’s face.

Eyes widening, he covered his cheeks with his hands, turning away from the rest of the group. God, he couldn’t let anyone see him like this, he was far too vulnerable.

“I’m going to bed.” He grunted, climbing into the comfortable hotel bed. He didn’t even bother taking his jacket off, simply pulling the covers to above his ears. Without another second's thought, he shut his eyes as tightly as he could, hoping to every possible god that he could fall asleep quickly.

“Good idea.” Shiro’s voice sounded from across the room. He could hear the sound of his jacket falling to the ground. “Everyone, get some rest. After all, we do have a big day tomorrow.”

The lights turned off, and everyone in the room climbed into bed (with some mild complaining from Lance). Keith could feel Shiro climbing into the bed with him, but all he could think about were the other two boys sleeping in the bed adjacent to theirs. Specifically, the small, irritating, awfully stupid, incredibly attractive boy who couldn’t quite seem to stop invading Keith’s thoughts. Keith could hear his breathing, his tiny snores, and every time he moved. He felt a warm feeling in his chest every time he heard something, but also a feeling of embarrassment. What if he said something humiliating in his sleep? What if Lance heard him say something and never wanted to go near him again? Well, maybe that wouldn’t be so bad.... But what if something truly awful happened?

Keith took a deep breath. He could hear his therapist in his mind telling him to just relax, to breath in, and out.  _ In... Out... Just accept your feelings and keep going... In... Out... _

Keith relaxed his entire body, curling into himself slightly. Lance was still in his mind, but his infuriation was seeming to pass. His cute smile lit up Keith’s mind, his freckles even more prominent than usual. A small smile appeared on Keith’s lips as he finally fell asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry if this chapter feels a little weird, i wrote most of it at 3 am while watching the lizzie maguire movie with my choir for our all nighter lmao


	3. Wednesday (part 1)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> its in 2 parts because there was still a lot to go in this day (like especially this hella cute thing pretty soon) but i havent updated this in 10 years and i wanted to get at least something out. happy birthday (to me) you get some more stooooorrry!!

_ His dark ebony hair fell gently on his neck, curling slightly where it touched his favorite red coat. Cherry blossom petals seemed to fall from the sky, one particularly beautiful one landing in his hair. It gently rested like a crown upon his head, the imagery becoming even more prominent as more began to fall. The air around him was a soft, warm pink color. The air around him was slightly hazy, but Lance didn’t mind. The boy sitting so quietly in front of him was crystal clear, and that’s all he needed. _

_ “Keith?” He called out. His voice cracked. His cheeks burned. _

_ The boy turned his head. Two very familiar-seeming dark eyes greeted him. Lance was slightly taken aback. The boy's thick eyebrows raised slightly as he released a gentle smile. _

_ “Yeah?” The boy asked. His voice, unlike Lance’s, was deep and smooth. _

_ His cheeks were as pink as the petals in the air. _

“Lance, wake up.” A different familiar voice spoke. “We’re already here, you need to get up...”

Lance’s eyes shot open, hungrily drinking in all the sights around him. He was on the bus again, a charter bus. The seats were blue with pink and green geometric shapes. There was a bit of dried drool on the seat's armrest. Was that his? Hopefully not. Hunk stood in front of him, wearing the thickest coat he owned. Shay was resting against him, zipping up her own coat. The rest of the students were already filing off the bus. He could see the lit Radio City Music Hall sign outside the bus window. It was too bright for his morning eyes.

Lance groaned, rolling over. “It’s too early, lemme sleep...” He whined, hiding his face.

Hunk just smiled, pulling up on Lance’s light jacket. “Dude, you have to get up. We’re already here, so you might as well get up.”

Lance moved slightly to pull his phone to his face, grunting as he opened his eyes. As he checked the time, he grunted again, rolling his eyes. “Dude, it’s literally 5 o clock in the morning. It’s too early to be awake...”

Hunk grabbed Lance’s phone, slipping it into his pocket. “It’s 5:30, actually, and you still need to be awake and off the bus. The parade will start in a few hours and we need to secure a good spot.”

This woke Lance up. He scrambled to his feet, frantically running off the bus. Hunk and Shay slowly followed, giggling at him and his silly actions. They were so Lance..

The next three and a half hours were fairly uneventful. The most they did was chat a bit amongst themselves in their spots while on their phones. A few students napped, but most just talked quietly amongst themselves.

That is, until Lance shamelessly flirted with a boy passing by.

Shit-eating grin on his face, Lance turned to face Hunk. You could see the deviance in his eyes. As he turned away, his grin shifted into an adorable smile. “Excuse me, sir?” He asked, calling out to the unknown passerby.

The boy turned around, his green scarf gently whipping around with him. “Yes?”

Lance walked up to him, holding a map in hand. “Sorry to bother you, I really hope I’m not being a nuisance, but I’m afraid I’m a bit lost.” He said, leaning close into the boy to show him the map. “I’m supposed to meet some friends at a place called An’nam after the parade, but I honestly have no idea where to go..”

The boy smiled, leaning even more into Lance. “Sure thing.” He said, pointing as he spoke. “What you’re gonna wanna do is make your way down to the entrance to the Rockefeller center, then take a right and keep walking for two blocks. Then, take a left and it should be on your right.”

“Thank you so much!” Lance beamed up at him.

“You know, I usually don’t do this, but here.” The guy scrawled something down on the corner of the map, blushing slightly. “It’s my number. You should... call me again, in case you get lost again, okay?”

Lance nodded, smiling before walking away.

Hunk rolled his eyes as Lance returned to his side, but you could tell he was impressed. Keith however, was not.

“Seriously?” The dark haired boy muttered, not able to meet Lance’s gaze. “The parade is starting and you’re flirting with strangers? Maybe you’re a bigger idiot than I thought...” Keith turned away from Lance completely, his face completely red.

“Wait, the parade is starting!?!?” Lance said, eyes wide. He jumped to his feet, standing at full attention. His legs fell in a slight squat as he screeched. “WHAT!?!?”

Keith rolled his eyes.

Suddenly, Shiro’s hand is on Keith’s shoulder. “Hey, I have to run Miss Allura and Shay to the bathroom real quick. Just watch the parade and stay out of trouble?” Shiro laughed to himself. “Ah, who am I kidding? You’ll be fine.” He glanced at Lance, who was excitedly shouting and pointing at the parade. “Keep those two in line, will ya?”

Keith nodded.

A smile lit up Shiro’s face. “Thanks lil bro, I knew I could count on you.” He patted him on the back twice before walking away, the two taller girls in tow.

Keith watched him walk away, only tearing his gaze away to look at Lance. He’s laughing and talking, an adorable grin stretched across his entire face. Keith smiled too, only wiping it away whenever one of the students would look at him. He couldn’t help but smile again the second they looked away, though.

 

*****************

 

They had almost made it through the parade. The parade had almost finished before anything crazy happened. They were so close to having one normal thing, but (as per all their luck) something had to happen. Of course it did.

A cute boy wearing a rainbow cape winked at Keith.

As he passed by, he bit his lip, winking seductively at the other boy. Keith turned red, eyes wide. 

Lance looked over, watching the entire exchange go down. He pursed his lips together, eyebrows furrowed down in disapproval. He felt a gross, heavy feeling in his heart as he looked, watching the boy so obviously flirting with Keith. He couldn’t quite label the feeling. He decided to call it annoyance. Yes, it was definitely annoyance.

Hunk looked over towards Lance, seeing him aggressively staring at the other boy. “Hey Lance, you good?”

Lance snapped out of it, looking over towards Hunk as if breaking out of a trance. “What?” He looked blankly at him. “Oh, yeah yeah, I’m good.” The two of them stared at each other for a second, but Lance’s eyes shifted to behind his best friend, settling on a particular float behind them. “Is that....” Lance started, getting closer to see better. “... CNCO???”

As the float got closer, the music got louder and Lance’s curiosity was confirmed.

_ “Ay ay!” _

Lance screamed, his eyes widening. Keith looked over towards him, his eyes wide as well. He watched as Lance opened his mouth wide, screaming, “CNCO!!!!!!!”

_ Devuélveme mi corazón  _ __   
_ no ves que mi cuerpo no se anda mejor  _ __   
_ tú nunca supiste tratarlo  _ _   
_ __ solo golpearlo amor

The Spanish rang through the street as the mass of people (Lance included) started to sing along. Lance started to dance as well, gracefully moving his hips to the beat as if he were Shakira. Keith couldn’t help but stare.

Noticing the float passing by, Lance quickly turned as he pulled out his phone, swiping the camera open. He made a cool face, smirking as he held up a peace sign. Just as he took the picture, one of the people on the float took notice and flipped the camera a peace sign with a cute smile. Lance didn’t notice.

He took a video on Snapchat, dancing and singing along to the music. At the end, he managed to dab (somehow). He hit himself in the face.   
_ How I’m in love with this idiot,  _ Keith thought to himself,  _ I’ll never know.  _


	4. Wednesday (part 2)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im sorry if any of the foreign language is wrong, i used google translate

“Alright everyone, let’s gather round real quick!” 

“hoLY SHIT ARE YOU K I D D I N G???!?!?!” Lance screamed, gathering the attention of his entire tour group (as well as his teacher). “ACTUAL JOEL PIMENTEL MADE A PEACE SIGN IN MY SELFIE AND YOU GUYS DIDN’T TELL ME??!?!?!?!?!?!?”

Suddenly, the area was quiet. The mass of people parted slightly to reveal the VERY annoyed choir teacher glaring directly at Lance, her eyebrows turned down as far as one’s eyebrows can possibly go down.

Lance offered a forced smile. “S-sorry?”

The teacher just rolled her eyes before turning her attention to the group. “As I was saying, we will now be headed to Times Square. You may explore to your heart's content, just please make it back here to our meeting spot by 5. We’ll head to An’nam from there.”

A wide variety of “yes ma’am” and “of course ma’am” rang out before the crowd dispersed, leaving only one group left.

“So!” Shiro said, a cute smile on his face. “Before we head out, let’s decide where we want to head to first! Is there any specific place any of you want to go?” Shiro looked around the group, making eye contact with each boy as he spoke.

Hunk was saying something, but Lance couldn’t focus on any of it. It could have been important but he honestly wouldn’t know. All he could see was Keith. Keith looked sort of down, quietly staring at the ground, his lips pursed together. Lance tilted his head slightly to the side.

“Hey Shiro?” He said, speaking up slightly. His voice was much softer than usual, much less brash and loud. He still hadn’t torn his gaze away from Keith. “I... I think Keith has something to say...”

Keith looked up from the ground, tossing a quick glance at Lance before focusing his gaze on his older brother. He looked confused for a moment. His head fell to the side, his eyes squinting slightly. After a gentle reassurance from Shiro, he looked into the distance as to avoid eye contact with anyone. “Well, there was this one bookstore I really wanted to visit...”

Keith had to turn his body to hide his blush. Lance probably thought he was so stupid, wanting to visit some boring bookshop when they could be living it up in New York. Hell, he probably was annoyed at having to go out of his way just to go to some dumb book store. He probably hated Keith even more now...

Instead, Lance just smiled.

Keith’s heart started beating wildly. He scowled, doing his best to hide it.

Lance’s smile was so bright. “That sounds really fun!” He said, shifting his weight onto his heels. “I wonder what kind of cool books they have there...”

Hunk’s face held a bright smile as well. “Yeah, it sounds like a cool place to go. Good idea Keith!”

Keith just scowled harder, but his blush stayed strong.

It didn’t take long for them to make it to the shop. Granted, they had to walk 4 blocks, talk to a random passerby, turn around and walk a block back, and stop for a random horde of bikers (don’t ask), but they managed to make it there in about a half an hour. Upon arriving, the group split into three: Lance & Hunk headed upstairs to the second floor, Shiro went down into the basement floor, and Keith stayed on the main floor.

Keith immediately headed to the foreign fiction section, like he knew exactly what he was looking for. He only had to browse for a few minutes, but when he was finished his eyes lit up. Rather than bringing it to the counter to pay however, he just sat down and popped it open.

Lance was getting bored. The second floor was full of cute little trinkets and snacks, complete with a little cafe, but nothing seemed to interest him. Hunk however, was fascinated.

“There’s so much stuff I could get for Shay!” He exclaimed, his smile giddy.

Lance smiled slightly as well, only half listening. “Hey, I’m gonna go and find a bathroom, okay?”

Now it was Hunk’s turn to only half listen. “Yeah, okay.” He murmured before turning away from his best friend to fiddle with another little trinket, checking the price on each one.

As Lance headed down the concrete-like stairs, he couldn’t help but feel slightly guilty. He didn’t mean to lie to Hunk, he never had before. He didn’t know why exactly he did it either... He didn’t have to go to the bathroom really, he was just bored. He wasn’t looking for anything either, he didn’t want anything... Right?

He set foot on the main floor. Suddenly, all he could see was Keith. The corner he sat in was illuminated in light from outside the window. A slight shine came from him, his eyes sparkling with each word he read on the page. Lance couldn’t help but feel a slight sense of déjà vu...

As he stepped towards the other boy, Keith snapped his head up. His eyes bore into Lance’s head with the intensity of 1000 suns. As soon as he realized who it was, he put his nose right back in the book. “What do you want, Lance?”

Lance stepped closer to him, glancing at the book in his hands. When he spoke, his voice was gentle and warm. “What are you reading?”

Keith ignored him at first, eventually muttering under his breath, “It’s none of your business.”

Lance stepped back slightly. “S-sorry..” He murmured, holding a hand close to his chest. “I didn’t mean to-”

Keith sighed, shutting the book. “Look, I’ll tell you, but you have promise not to laugh, okay?”

Lance was nodding at the speed of light. “O-okay, I promise!!!”

Keith opened the book again, leafing through the books lightly colored pages. Lance couldn’t help but watch his eyes. They sparkled. He looked as if he was greeting an old friend.

“It’s called Jega Jagnayo.” He spoke slowly, still completely engrossed in the book’s pages. “I used to read it all the time, back when I was still in Korea..”

Still in Korea? Lance didn’t understand.

“Back before I was adopted.”

Oh. That’s what still in Korea meant. Keith didn’t go to his school until 2nd grade... He had always assumed that he had just went to a different school before he came here. But had he been in an orphanage, or a foster home? That entire time? Lance felt an uneasy feeling in his stomach.

“I’m sorry.” Lance said, looking down at the ground.

Keith looked up at Lance, leading the other boys gaze up. “Don’t be.” He said, keeping steady eye contact with the other. “It reminds me of the happiest times I had before I came here.”

“Oh.”

Lance glanced at the pages for the third time. Finally, he realized the most obvious thing. “Wait.” He said, staring at Keith incredulously. “You can read Korean?”

Keith rolled his eyes. “No Lance. I lived in South Korea for the first 8 years of my life, but I can’t read a word of it.” He said in a serious tone. When Lance didn’t respond, he let out an exasperated sigh. “Yes Lance, of COURSE I can read it. And write it. And speak it. And-”

“Okay okay, I get it!” Lance exclaimed, giggling slightly. After he calmed down a bit, he smiled kindly at him. A gentle sincerity resided in his eyes. “Do you, um... Do you think you could say something in it for me?”

Keith looked at him, a strange look in his eyes.

“I mean, it’s totally okay if you can’t, I mean, if you don’t want to, um, you don’t have to-”

And then, in the biggest plot twist of all: Keith laughed. Lance watched in awe as the biggest smile he had ever seen grew on Keith’s face, a loud laughter erupting from the usually stoic boy. “No no, it’s fine, really.” He smiled. “Just, just stop babbling, okay?”

Lance nodded.

Keith shut the book and set it next to him, momentarily pushing some of his hair out of his face and tucking it behind his ear. He took a deep breath, a million thoughts running through his mind. What if he was too sappy? Lance would never know, right? What if he secretly knew Korean and ends up knowing everything? Wait, why would he know Korean, that’s ridiculous. But he was being a bit too nice to him.. He might get suspicious...  _ Better safe than sorry, _ he decided.

His straight face returned. “너는 말 그대로 내가 만난 가장 큰 바보 야.”

Lance cocked his head to the side. “What does that mean?”

Keith smirked. “You are literally the biggest idiot I’ve ever met.”

Lance rolled his eyes, resting his hand on Keith’s shoulder. “Har har, very funny.” He said, letting himself lean against the smaller boy. “You really are a comedian, you know.”

A smug grin appeared on Keith’s face. “What can I say? Korean only speaks the truth.”

Lance burst into a fit of laughter, but it quickly died away. “Okay wise guy, what else?” He asked, unconsciously inching closer. “Impress me.”

Keith’s heart was beating so quickly. This happened so often around Lance, it should be considered a medical condition. He was going to do it. He was actually going to do it. Lance would never know. He took a deep breath before he spoke. “너를 너무 사랑해.”

Something was different. Lance felt so nice, so soft, like his mama was giving him a gentle hug. Despite the chilling winds outside, he felt  _ so warm.  _ He felt.. Happy. As he realized he had to respond, he desperately wished that his voice wouldn’t betray him. Even so, his voice matched the softness and warmth that he felt inside his heart. "What does that mean?" 

Keith turned away. “I said, It’s almost 5 o’clock.” He lied.

“Oh.”

Suddenly, Hunk walked up behind them. “Hey Lance, I found this super cool statue that I think Shay will like, but I’m not allowed to pick it up unless I buy it, so will you come downstairs and help me decide on whether to get it for her or not?” He asked, not taking a moment to breath between any of his words.

Lance nodded, smiling. “Sure buddy!”

Keith watched him walk away.

 

*************

 

Despite their dark surroundings, cold weather, and sleepy peers, Shay and Lance were doing a kickline. On the sidewalk. Next to Radio City Music Hall. Hunk watched in appreciation, applauding the entire time. “Amazing! Wonderful! Bravissimo!” He exclaimed.

Shiro and Allura stood together on the sidewalk, absolutely raving about the Rockettes performance. “Oh, it was absolutely marvelous!” Allura exclaimed, leaning slightly into Shiro. “I’ve always wanted to see the Rockettes perform live, and this experience absolutely exceeded all of my expectations...”

Keith and Pidge stood to the side silently, waiting for the rest of the choir to file onto the bus. Watching Lance and Shay, he rolled his eyes. “Are you guys seriously doing a kickline  _ this _ late at night?” He asked, eyes wider than usual. “You have way too much energy, as per usual.”

“I agree!” Shiro interjected, stepping closer to both groups. “You all have too much energy, so please get it all out now before we get back to the hotel so we can get a good night’s rest.”

Lance scoffed. “Pfft, okay  _ dad. _ ”

Pidge had to stifle a giggle. “ _ Daddy. _ ”

Keith let out a gasp of horror, stumbling away from the freshman girl. His eyes were wide, his arms clutched closely to his chest. He was absolutely mortified.

Both groups burst into a fit of giggles (all except Keith, that is), only properly stopping once they reached the bus. Lance was last in line, giggling for the longest amount of time.

Suddenly, Lance was the only one left on the street. He had to get on the bus, he had to just take the step. He could have, but he didn’t. His gaze was drawn to the stars, completely distracted by the hazy night sky. It was the same sky his mom at home was looking into, the same stars she slept under. His little brother was probably still up playing with his little sister, probably running around outside and playing under the stars. His dog was probably playing with them, barking so loud the neighbors complained. Mama was probably scolding them for being too loud. They were probably giggling. They probably missed him.

God knows he misses them.


	5. Thursday

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> surprise im not dead
> 
> just bad at not procrastinating whoops

“Houston, we have a problem.”

Keith rolled his eyes. “Seriously, must you say that every time you’re slightly inconvenienced?” He folded his arms over his chest. “We’re not in space.”

Lance pouted. “I know we’re not in space, I just like to say it’s fun. And besides, I don’t say it every time I’m ‘slightly inconvenienced’.” He argued, ending his sentence in a tone mocking Keith from earlier. “There’s a serious problem!”

“Oh yeah?” Keith retorted, his attitude becoming fiery. “And what is that?”

Lance let out an frustrated noise. “The carriages can only take 3 people, and the drivers already took Shiro, Shay, and Hunk! Allura, Pidge, and Coran already left too!”

Keith’s eyes widened.  _ fuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckFUCK  _

Lance’s eyes squinted slightly, his head tilting to the side. His mouth hung slightly ajar. “Keith?” His voice had a warmer, more gentle feel than it had been just a few moments before. “Hey buddy, you okay? You look a little pale...”

Keith didn’t respond, staring straight through him. 

Lance sighed, turning away. “Cool. Good talk, buddy.”

Keith’s mind was racing, yet again. The thought of spending an entire hour alone with Lance was simultaneously the most exciting and most terrifying thing in the world, and on a romantic carriage ride through Central Park nonetheless. The silence the two of them sat in made the thoughts worse, as nothing distracted him from his thoughts. For better or for worse, they didn’t sit (or rather, stand) in that uncomfortable silence for long. 

“Are you two ready to go?”

Keith didn’t even have enough time to look up at the speaker before Lance responded, grabbing his wrist and pulling him into the carriage. Keith’s cheeks lit up a bright red, his heart thumping wildly in his chest. 

Lance’s heart started to race as he realized what he had done. He quickly pulled his hand away from Keith’s, forcing himself to breathe. He had to regain a calm composure. It was normal, just grabbing a guy’s arm to make him get in the carriage. The carriage that was about to take the two of them on a ride through Central Park. It definitely wasn’t a romantic thing, he was just being sort of friendly. Little touches like that aren’t weird. No, definitely not. 

The boys didn’t get much time to recover from the first encounter before the next one occurred.

The horses began to speed up. Keith, who was closer to the driver, could hear him cursing under his breath. The more the driver spoke, the faster the horses went. Keith barely had enough time to process the scene unfolding before him. 

Suddenly, the carriage lurched forward, sending Keith flying across the small carriage. He squeezed his eyes shut as he slammed into the other side. His shoulder started to ache, but he didn’t move. His arms were crossed across his chest still, pressed against a warm, soft body. Keith wasn’t a fool, he knew exactly what had happened, but he was refusing to open his eyes and face it. 

“Keith?” Lance’s voice was husky and deep. His breathing was slow and deliberate. 

Keith could hear his heartbeat.

Lance opened his mouth to speak again. “Keith, buddy, are you alright?”

Snapping to his senses, Keith scrambled back to his side of the carriage, his cheeks burning. He turned his face, hiding his blush from the other boy. No matter how much he tried, he couldn’t produce a single sound. 

Suddenly, Lance started to laugh. 

Keith immediately whipped his head around to stare at him, glaring daggers into his dumb smiling face. “What’s so funny?” He asked, his harsh tone slicing through the cold New York air. 

“It’s just...” Lance couldn’t stop his giggling. “This whole situation is super funny for me, I dunno. Especially your face after you got offa me.” He paused to laugh again, his smile sweet and genuine. “It almost reminded me of my little brother.”

Keith’s glare faltered slightly. All he could do was stare at Lance, his mouth hanging slightly open once again. He couldn’t find a single expression to show how he was feeling right in that moment.

Lance’s eyes met his, a small smile still on his face. “What?” He giggled.

Keith wasn’t going to smile. Not if he had anything to do with it. Still, his lips couldn’t help but turn upwards.

*************

Keith noticed two things the second he opened his eyes: 1) The clock in front of his face claimed that it was 3:00 AM and 2) Someone nearby was definitely crying.  Quiet sniffles rang through the air, loud enough to be heard over Shiro’s snoring but quiet enough to make the source almost impossible to pick out. He could feel a strange pinching at his heart.

Groaning slightly, he slipped out of his hotel bed. The floor felt colder than it had the previous nights. It took a few moments for him to adjust to the new temperature, so he just stood silently above the bed, looking down at the clock.

As he began to walk forward, the floor loudly creaked. Suddenly, the sniffling stopped.

And that is when Keith realized that someone was missing from the other bed.

Shit.

Keith slowly approached the other side of the room, his steps deliberate and cautious. He suddenly became very aware of his own breathing and heart beat. He knew exactly who was in that corner and god, he didn’t want to upset them anymore than he already had.

“Lance?” His voice was raspy and shaky.

There was a short pause, but the response eventually came. “K-keith?”

To this day, Keith still doesn’t know what came over him in that moment. Usually, he would be reserved, stay far away from Lance, even pretend that he hated the other boy just so that no one would ever find out his actual feelings. Usually he would bottle all of his emotions up and run far away. This time however, he didn’t, It happened so quickly, but somehow Keith ended up right next to Lance, his left arm reached across his body to rest on Lance’s shoulder.

Their knees were touching.

“Lance, are you okay?” His words were breathy, almost like a throaty whisper.

Lance leaned slightly into Keith, his shoulder sinking into him.

“I-I..” Lance was stuttering. His voice was shaky and forced. He sounded like he could cry at any moment. “I’m... I’m fine.”

Keith turned his head, looking right at Lance.

“You’re clearly not fine, you can barely talk.”

Lance let out a half-hearted laugh, his arm falling between Keith and the wall they were leaned up against. “Yeah, I guess you’ve got me again, Keith.” His voice still shook, but it slowly regained the usual Lance-like confidence that Keith knew so well. “You could always see right through all my facades, huh rival...”

This time it was Keith’s turn to laugh. “Rival?” Keith couldn’t help but see the intense irony behind his words. “I don’t think I ever was your rival.”  _ Words can’t describe how I feel about you, idiot. _

Lance just laughed again, this one weaker than before. His tears were starting to seep through. “Hah, r-rival.... Stupid rival, always... always getting the better of me, huh...”

Suddenly, he burst into tears, burying his face in Keith’s shoulder. “Fuck, Keith...” He cried, his words slightly muffled by Keith’s t-shirt. “God, I miss my family so much... I didn’t think it’d get this bad, but you reminded me of my little brother and  _ dios mi, extraño mucho a todos. Mi mamá, mi hermana, mi hermano, mi papá, mi tía y mi tío, los extraño a todos. Me encanta este viaje mucho pero maldita sea si no los echo de menos ... Ojalá pudiera estar con ellos ahora mismo ...” _

Lance looked up at Keith, his eyes visibly bloodshot, his cheeks puffy. Tears streamed down his face. His eyes were filled with desperation. 

Keith’s heart felt like it was going to explode out of his chest. Lance’s face was so close to his, close enough to feel Lance’s warm breath on his neck. His lips trembled slightly, like he could start crying again at any minute. His lips looked so soft, and he was so warm... If either of them moved even an inch, then...

He couldn’t do it.

  
Closing his eyes, he let his head fall into Lance. His arms wrapped around him, holding him as close as he possibly could. Neither of them said anything, just breathing together, listening to the sounds of the city as it awoke beneath them.


	6. Friday

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay so it's been about a billion years since i updated this and im super duper sorry but i'm absolutely not letting this story go okay i am going to finish it
> 
>  
> 
> anyways enjoy some pining idiots

Despite it having been about 4 hours since he woke up, Keith was still in a complete state of shock over the events of the night before. He couldn’t believe he had done that, he had actually done that. He, the boy who refused to open up to anyone, actually hugged (no, practically  _ snuggled _ ) with someone. And him nonetheless! His heart and mind were racing a million miles a minute, but he managed to stay silent. Instead of screaming like he so desperately wished to do, he instead clutched the bar on the subway tighter, leaving slight red marks on his pale skin. 

Lance stood in front of him, casually chatting with Allura, who stood in front of  _ him.  _ They were only about a foot away from each other, as the subway car was fairly packed. A bright smile lined Lance’s face, and Keith couldn’t help but stare. Did he remember what happened last night? Was he ignoring Keith? Was he upset? Did he even care? Keith felt like he was going to be sick.

Suddenly, the subway stopped, the doors opening. It wasn’t the choir’s stop, so no one moved. However, a huge group of people flooded into the car, shoving everyone closer together. Keith’s heart began to race and Lance was shoved closer to him. His eyes were wide, unable to stop staring at the sun kissed boy less than a foot away from him. It was entirely possible that he had stopped breathing. 

Just as suddenly as it had stopped, the subway started up again with a jolt. As if pushed by an unseen force, Lance fell towards Keith, being pressed up against him as more people pushed to create a bit more room. For the time being, Lance was stuck.

A deep blush quickly painted itself across Keith’s face as he locked eyes with Lance. No words came to his brain, only panic. His brain felt like everything had been shaken up as he fumbled to form any words at all.

Similarly, Lance’s thoughts were racing. Every minute that had passed since the previous night, thoughts of Keith had flooded his head. He had never thought of Keith that way, at least he thought, but the more he forced himself to think about it the more he realized that wasn’t entirely true. Like, yeah, he found Keith to be hot. Like,  _ really  _ hot. But recently, he’s stopped seeing him as just hot, if that made any sense. He still found him super attractive, but he’s always thought Keith hated him. When Keith hugged him, he suddenly got the idea that maybe he didn’t? Now, every time Lance looked at him, his brain played a painful tug of war between two trains of thought: whether he liked Keith or not. Currently, the former was winning, and Lance was suffering. 

Now, with his chest and hips pressed up against Keith’s, he was nearly shutting down. Keith’s skin was so cold, but Lance desperately wanted to touch him, to feel him again. He wondered if the hug had even been real. Was it all a dream? Keith sure was acting fairly cold towards him like normal, so maybe it was. Whatever it was, it sure messed Lance up.

When the doors to the subway opened, everyone in the car began to flood out. Both tenors wished to be able to escape the awkward embrace they now held, the wall of leaving people made that almost impossible. It seemed to be the longest wait, but they both were eventually given the opportunity to leave the spot.

They both lingered.

 

****************************************************

 

Lance’s eyes seemed to sparkle when they boarded the ferry, immediately running up to the top deck. A huge formed on his face and he leaned over the side, allowing the splashing waves to spray him with mist. “This is so cool!” He exclaimed, his voice giddy with excitement. 

Allura and Hunk, following closely behind, both giggled. 

Keith, nearly hidden behind Shiro, had to bite his lip to keep himself from laughing as well. It would be weird, and perhaps Lance would somehow connect the laugh to Keith’s actual feelings. It was an unlikely scenario (his therapist says his brain likes to make up unlikely scenarios because of his condition), but Keith wasn’t taking that chance. 

Lance, meanwhile, continued to run around the boat. Even after it began to move, he continued to run around, a sense of childlike wonder filling him. Mist and water filled the air, and he felt as if he’d never been happier. Maybe, just for a moment, he could forget his homesickness and finally let loose, actually have real fun.

Keith sat down, staying silent. He clearly was not feeling well, but he refused to let it show. He didn't want anyone to notice, he didn’t want anyone to care. Good thing Shiro wasn’t just anyone.

Sitting next to him, Shiro let his arm fall behind Keith’s back, rubbing his shoulder supportively. “Hey buddy, you doing alright?”

Keith nodded, staring straight ahead. “I’m fine.”

Shiro snorted. “Okay, clearly you’re not, so you need to talk to me, okay?” He sighed, leaning into his little brother slightly. “Is this about you know who?”

Keith nodded, letting his face fall into his hands. 

Shiro sighed again, continuing to rub Keith’s shoulder. “What happened?”

Keith, at first, was hesitant. However, as he met Shiro’s concerned eyes, melted like putty in his hands. “Lance was crying last night, and I… I hugged him. For a really long time.” Shiro was silent, so Keith forced himself to continue. “He was crying into my shirt, and speaking really fast Spanish, and he was so upset… He was so close to me, Shiro. I…” He forced himself to breathe. “I think I almost kissed him.”

Shiro nodded gently, leaning in closer to him. “Are you okay with that?”

Keith looked up at his older brother, his head cocked slightly to the side. 

Shiro sighed, leaning back. “I mean, are you okay with the fact that you almost kissed him? Does it hurt, or are you okay with it?”

Keith kept a blank stare, but his mind was running at a million miles per hour. When he opened his mouth, only his native language would spill out. “그래, 나는 그걸로 평화롭게 살고 있다고 생각해.”

Shiro sighed again. “Dude, I’m from Japan, you know I can’t understand you when you talk in Korean.”

Keith slouched slightly, looking down at his feet. “Sorry.”

Shiro rolled his eyes, leaning into the back of the seat. “But are you?”

Keith smiled one of his rare smiles, meeting his brother’s eyes again. “Yeah, I think I am.”

Meanwhile, Lance and Hunk were cooped up inside the ferry’s small bathroom, chatting freely without the worry of any chaperones overhearing them. Hunk was in the middle of washing his hands, while Lance was leaning against the sink, staring up at the ceiling. His mind was still (unfortunately) stuck on Keith. He just couldn’t stop. Since the incident of the subway, he couldn’t help but remember every single incident where Keith did something cute and Lance’s heart did gymnastics but tried to mask it as “rival feelings”. Despite all of those wild feelings, Lance still managed to (mostly) settle on one feeling, and that was that he needed to talk with his best friend about it immediately.

“Hey Hunk?”

Hunk looked up, shutting off the sink. “What’s up?”

Lance didn’t hesitate at all, immediately launching into spilling his thought out to the other boy. “I know it sounds super dumb, I know we’ve sorta hated him for forever, but man I think I really like Keith, like a lot…” When Hunk declined to respond, Lance continued to babble. “Not in like a ‘I don’t hate him’ way and not even in a ‘I think we could be friends’ way but in a sorta ‘I kinda want to hold your hand and kiss you all over’ kinda way, like I- Hey, why are you laughing!?!?”

Hunk tried to stifle his giggles, but to no avail. “Lance, no offense, but I know.”

Lance stopped fidgeting, his offended expression falling to one of genuine confusion. “You… you know?”

Hunk snorted. “Um, yeah. Have you seen the way you look at him, or how you always find a way to bring him up and talk about him, or how you insist you hate him but you’re constantly making heart eyes at him? It’s pretty obvious.”

Lance’s eyes widened. “Wait, you don’t think Keith knows, do you? God, I don’t want him to hate me, especially since I’m just  _ now  _ realizing how much I really like him!”

Hunk laughed, turning to grab a paper towel to dry his hands. “Nah, don’t worry. Keith’s about as observant as a brick. I doubt he even knows you thought y’all were rivals.”

Lance pouted, crossing his arms. He wasn’t wrong, not really. Last night, Keith acted as if he didn’t even know Lance thought of him as a rival. He was so genuine, innocent, and kind, like he didn’t even know the previous hate Lance had held in his heart, or so he had thought. Hunk was right. It stung a little, knowing how oblivious Keith was to his feelings, but him not knowing was better than him knowing and wanting to get as far away from Lance as possible.

It wasn’t a nice feeling, but a small sense of satisfaction filled him regardless.


	7. Saturday

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The group had just got done watching Wicked at the Gershwin Theatre.

“My my, that show was absolutely brilliant!” Allura exclaimed, her thick accent pouring out with each word. A huge grin plastered her lips as her eyes began to sparkle. “The performers were marvelous, simply marvelous!!”

Keith, following a few feet behind, rolled his eyes. “Shiro, you’re drooling.”

Immediately, Shiro snapped out of his haze, returning to a proper posture. “Wh-what?” He stuttered, a blush forming on his face despite his obvious efforts to remain calm looking. “I’m not drooling, what do you even mean?”

Allura caught his eye, and giggled slightly, her amusement hidden behind an enclosed hand. Shiro’s blush deepened.

Hunk was the one to break the silence. “So…. should we follow the group over to the hotel?” He asked calmly, his voice even and strong. “The rest of the choir will be waiting for us in the restaurant upstairs, so we shouldn’t stay down here for long.”

Shay nodded, leaning into her boyfriend slightly. A light smile was painted on her face. “Hunk is right. We already took long enough buying merchandise, using the restrooms, and getting out of the theatre, so we shouldn’t keep our group waiting for long.” She squeezed Hunk’s hand gently, and he rested against her shoulder.

Pidge audibly gagged, earning a laugh from the rest of the group.

It didn’t take long for the group to get up to the restaurant, as there were escalators up all 8 of the floors. What also didn’t take long was for Lance to start complaining. “Ugh, guys, I SERIOUSLY need to take a wizz.”

Again, Shiro took the role of parent in the situation. “Seriously Lance, you could have gone to the bathroom at the theatre. Why wait until now?” A cross look covered his entire face, his nose scrunched up slightly. When Lance refused to respond, Shiro sighed deeply. “Fine, there’s a bathroom on the floor below this one. Don’t take forever.”

Lance was gone before Shiro had finished his sentence.

Keith inched up behind Shiro slightly, silently nudging him. “Um, Shiro…?” He asked, his voice low. “Are there any other bathrooms close?”

Shiro sighed again. “You too?”

Keith nodded.

Adjusting his posture, Shiro looked down at Keith. “Look, I’m really sorry, but the only one is the one downstairs. I know-” He looked around, lowering his voice slightly so no one would hear his words. “I know you really don’t want to be alone with Lance again, but there’s nothing I can do. Sorry buddy.”

“It’s okay.” Keith mumbled.

Stepping onto the escalator, all Keith could think about was the impending awkwardness that was about to ensue. Did Lance even remember the other night? It seemed like he had somehow forgotten. He was definitely avoiding him, but he didn’t know why. And had he imagined the blush when they were pressed against each other on the subway? Did he imagine the linger? Did he even want Lance to have lingered? What did he want? A lot of thoughts were flooding his brain, and he could barely make sense of any of them.

He could see the door to the bathroom ahead of him, but everything in him was screaming not to go in. Instead, he felt like stopping, just hiding by the window until Lance left. It was the perfect plan. At least, it seemed like the perfect plan, perfect until he noticed Lance leaning against the railing, gazing out of the window dreamily.

Keith doesn’t know why exactly he walked over towards him. If you had asked him afterwards what made him do it, he’d claim he just had a feeling, but in truth he really didn’t know. Suddenly, he just found his feet moving, his muscles moving him closer and closer to the silent boy. As he got closer, he realized the look wasn’t dreamy, it was sad. Keith recognized the look.

Resting his hand next to Lance’s, Keith looked up toward him. “Hey, are you okay?”

Lance looked over to meet his gaze, and for once, he didn’t look away. His eyes were full of a quiet sadness, like he had somehow given up. “Did Shiro send you to get me?”

Keith shook his head, moving closer to him without realizing. “Are you still feeling homesick?”

Lance nodded, no sense of hesitation. “Always.”

“I get that.” Keith wanted to look away, to gaze at the stars outside the window, but he couldn’t seem to tear his eyes away from Lance’s. “Even though I didn’t have a permanent family back in Korea, I still miss the feeling of some of those fond memories sometimes. I can’t even imagine if I had those memories with the same group of people every time and then had to leave them for a long period of time…”

Suddenly, Lance was moving closer towards Keith. He could feel his breath on his neck. His voice was soft, and his breath was hot. All of the hairs on Keith’s neck were standing on edge.

“Can you tell me some more about Korea? About… you?” Lance asked, a certain tentativeness in his voice. “I really like hearing you talk about it.”

Keith nodded, biting his lip gently. “When I was younger, about 6 years old, I lived with this little old lady who worked in a bakery, so she would always make me the most delicious gyeongdan. I remember one day she taught me how to make kimbap by myself, and I ended up making a huge mess… I was so scared that she was going to yell at me, that she was going to send me away like the others, but she just laughed and helped me clean it up.” Keith smiled slightly. “Sometimes I miss her, but I don’t think I’ll ever go back to live in Korea.”

Lance was even closer. “Why’s that?”

Keith’s smile faded, a look of genuine sincerity on his face. “I wouldn’t trade anything in the world for my life right now.”

Lance’s heart was racing. “And what’s here that’s so special to you?”

Keith tried his best not to blush. “My family, Shiro…..” He paused, taking a moment to breath. “You.”

For once, Lance was calm. His chest and hands were tingling, his heart beating wildly, but he was calm. Keith was so close to him, and he could smell his breath, and his cologne. His breath smelled like mint, but his cologne was a contrasting oaky smell. He smelled so nice, and his breath was so warm. Lance thought he was going to kiss him.

And suddenly, Keith’s lips were on his. And he was kissing back.

Lance’s lips were so much softer than Keith had imagined. He smelled so much better up close too. Keith could smell the strawberry shampoo scent to his hair and the warm vanilla perfume scent on his neck. Lance was so warm, and so soft, and so home-like.

Keith’s lips were slightly chapped, but Lance loved every inch of them. His skin was soft, pale, and colder than Lance thought they would be. His hair smelled like mint, and Lance wanted to drown himself in the scent. He wanted to hold onto Keith forever.

They had only been kissing for a minute, but they soon broke apart for air. As soon as Lance had caught his breath, he easily broke the silence that laid between them.

“너를 너무 사랑해” He said, his voice still breathy.

Keith froze. “Wh-what did you just say?”

Lance grinned, a small giggle escaping his lips. “It’s what you told me, in the bookstore. You seemed a little on edge, so I made sure to look it up as soon as I got the chance.” A slight blush was forming on his face. “It was really cute, so I wanted to make sure I remembered it.”

Keith inched closer to him, clasping his hands onto Lance’s forearms resting on the railing. “D-do you mean it?”

Lance nodded, practically glowing. “I wish I had realized it sooner, but I think I’ve liked you for a really long time. You’re really cool, Keith, and I want to be around you all the time.”

Keith remained a stuttering mess. “B-but…. but I thought you liked Allura!!”

Lance leaned against Keith, pressing a gentle kiss into his hair. “Just because I flirt with a girl doesn’t mean I can’t have a crush on the world’s biggest loser.” Earning a loud protest from the smaller boy, he giggled again. “I also flirted with a boy at the parade. Bisexuality is pretty real you know.”

Keith smiled. “Yeah, I know.”

Lance held Keith closer. “So, what does this make us?”

Keith looked up at Lance, genuine sincerity in his eyes. “Well, would you like to continue to kiss and hug me, now and in the future?”

Lance smiled. “Yeah, I think I'd like that a lot.”

“Well, then…” Keith faltered slightly, but Lance’s steady gaze gave him all the reassurance he needed. “Would you like to be my boyfriend?”

“My boyfriend…” Lance murmured, echoing Keith's words. His eyes began to sparkle. “I really like that.” He squeezed his hand gently, leaning into him.

Keith felt safe.

As they walked back up to the restaurant where their friends were waiting, they continued to talk. “We don't have to tell anyone right away, not right now anyways. This doesn't have to be a huge public ordeal.” Keith said, purposefully standing farther away from Lance as they approached the doors.

“Right, right.” Lance agreed, holding the door open for Keith subconsciously. “We don't need to cause a fuss, we can tell everyone later. And besides, PDA can be sorta uncomfortable.”

“Right.”

Still, despite agreeing on this, the pair wound up holding hands under the table, gently squeezing the other every few minutes to remind the one of the others presence. 


End file.
